Suture-clamp



(NoModeL) l E.'-H."ID-ANFORTH.

' sUTUBE-GLAMP. v No. 268,632 Patented Dec. 5', 1882.

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To all whom it may concern UNITED STATES PATENT Drrrce.

ELIJAH H. DANFORTH, OF JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK.

SUTURE-CLAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent -No. 268,632, dated December 5, 1882.

Application filed July 21, 1882. (No model.)

Be it known that I, ELIJAH H. DANFORTH, of Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surgical Instruments for Cleft Palaies and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

. exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The object ofmy invention is to make an efficient surgical clamp for drawing together and holdinga cleft palate; anditconsistsin aclamp or double needle, which will be fully understood by the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows the invention as applied.. Fig. 2 shows socket-needle section. Fig. 3 shows ratchet-needle section. Fig. 4. shows invention in perspective. Fig. 5 shows a modification. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are enlarged views.

. Heretofore in attempting to close or unite a cleft palate the two sides or parts have been drawn together by means of one or more bent needles being put through from one part to the other, and then winding a silver thread around and across the needle in form of the figure 8 but this methodis found objectionable,

because there is no way to increase or diminish the tension or draw of the instrument, and the parts get strangled, and then there is no hope of uniting them. To overcome this objection, and toinsure a speedy and permanent cure, I make what I term a needle-clamp, which consists of the parts as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 shows the socket-needle, which I generally make of silver, and the socket b may be of any desired form to receive theratchet-needle, Fig. 3. The socket b has secured to it a spring-pawl, d, the end of which is bent so as to drop into the ratchet 0 when the parts are put-together, as shown in Fig. 4,.and

the parts held at any desired point. I gener-' ally make the clamp as shown in Fig. 4, but

I do not confine myself rigidly to this form; but

the clamp must he in two parts and have a ratchet and spring-pawl or its equivalent for holding the parts at any desired distance.

In the practical operation of the instrument I run one needle-point a into one side and the other needle-point a into the other side of the parts to be closed, and then bring the needles together, letting the ratchet part pass into the socket, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4., and the end of the spring cl falling into the ratchet, the

parts may be drawn together and held as desired. The edges to be grown together are cut, so that by holding them together they readilyheal. Several of these clamps have to be used in order to hold the parts, and the needles can be adjusted so as to draw the parts gradually together, and if at any time found too tight can readily be loosened, and every part favored to make a speedy and permanent cure.

In the modification as shown in Fig. 5 I dispense with needle-points a a and flatten one end of each part of the clamp, and securely fasten anchor-points c c, and these I-incline toward the center. They are anchored into the flesh on each side of the part to be healed, and drawn together and held by the springpawl and ratchet, as before. This form ofclamp is more especially adapted to close gaping wounds; but either form maybe used for this purpose.

A needle-clamp for drawing together and holding cleft palates, gaping wounds, &c.,com- 

